Whenever I talk to business owners about their company’s mission, we always, ALWAYS, without fail, end up telling stories.
Not just any stories, of course, but the story of the business. The business owner explains how the original idea for the company came about, how the company got started, the dreams they had at the beginning, and what led to the basic company values.
Every business, every single one, has a story behind it. And that story is important.
Take me, for example. I know what’s led me here, and the story is powerful. I came from nothing. I built everything myself, and I’ve done it with three boys and across two countries. It all started with a dream, and I decided that there is no plan b (which is a personal mantra of mine).
Here’s a snippet from the story of one of my companies, wattsnext:
“Flashback to 17 years ago, wattsnext was born from a burning mission to raise the bar when it comes to the way HR is done across the world.
Sel wanted to see HR evolve from the “personnel department”, largely focusing on policies, procedures, rules and boundaries, and become a valued, strategic and commercial seat at the ‘C Suite’ table. Sel knew then that something had to dramatically change in the HR space and she wanted to completely disrupt the industry.
Everyone at wattsnext believes that while start-ups and SME’s don’t need an internal HR person, as a leader your staff do need HR expertise to truly succeed and remain 100% relevant. That is where we come in.
Our wattsnext team all work for an SME too so we understand your specific needs, your dreams and your challenges. We have been through every people-related issue that you are going through. We want to share our expertise, but also our personal experience on how to build an engaged team that delivers for your business, and trust that some of the wattsnext magic dust will rub off.
The heart of our business approach is explained best in the wattsnext mission. What is that, you ask? Simple. To create great workplaces, because we believe:
- people are happier and contribute more to their families, communities and cities if they operate within great workplaces;
- workplaces differ in their forms of being great – so defining that is an ongoing process;
- in the positive ripple effect that people employed in great workplaces can have on the world;
- the more great workplaces we can create through our HR experiences, the bigger impact we can have; and
- in every business having the power to shape the world into a smarter, more joyful, more inclusive, and more diverse place for everyone to thrive.
Ultimately, wattsnext works with clients keen on leaving the world better than when we all arrived! Who isn’t excited about that?”
The story is engaging, and it gives people who visit our website the opportunity to learn more about us and who we are as a company and what we want to accomplish when we work with them.
Something I want you to remember is that your company’s story isn’t just for your customers.
More than anything, it should be for your people.
Even as the Founder, now based a long way away from our Australian office, I take the time to meet with every single employee when they’re first brought onto the team to tell them the story.
Your employees NEED to know the story behind your company. When they know the story, they’re going to be able to make decisions for the company and on behalf of the company that align with what you were aiming for all along when you started the business so long (or not-so-long) ago. And if you tell your employees why you believe in your company, chances are that they’re going to believe in it, too, and that’s going to increase employee loyalty.
Simply put, there’s a heartbeat in your business, and each member of your team needs to understand that heartbeat. They need to know there’s a reason behind everything.
So, you already know the story behind your business, and now you know you need to share it, but do you know how to share it?
The first step is being able to identify the key parts of your story so that you can tell it in a succinct and, frankly, interesting way to every new employee that walks through your office door.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you work to identify your story:
- What was the experience that made you think that something in your industry needed to change?
- What is the key idea you had that made you think that a business you created could change the industry?
- What are three (or more) things you wanted to do differently to make the changes you thought needed to happen in your industry?
- Who did you want to help when you started?
- What did you want to do to help when you started?
- Why did you want to help when you started?
- How did you want to help when you started?
- What do you ultimately want your business to do?
- What was the original dream behind your company?
- Where are you in relation to the dream you originally had?
- What can this employee (that you’re about to tell the story to) do to help you fulfill your dream?
- And finally, what is the heartbeat of your business?
Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what your story is. I recommend that you practice telling it a few times or write it down so that you have a clear idea of what you’re going to say. And it’s important that YOU, the founder of your business, are the one to tell the story. It’s YOUR story after all, and you’re going to have more passion tell it than anyone else, and that means that YOU need to tell your story.
